Thursday, April 5, 2012

Last Pieces in a Random Series

If you look carefully at my last blog entry, and notice the border fabric on my landscape quilt, you will find the inspiration for the two pieces I have just completed.

The first thing I wanted to work on was a little purse. While at the NJ Quilt Festival I purchased a silver frame for a purse. I stopped at buying only one because sometimes I get carried away at these events. Rats! because it so fun making this bag that I was hoping to make another one soon. Thankfully, I can go to the store sometime as it is in New Jersey or I can hold off and buy another one next year when I go to the festival. Either way is fine since there are so many other projects to make.

I only bought the top frame and no chain to go with it, so I added a piece of imitation leather and kept it simple. If I decide to get a chain, I can do so when I get another purse top.

So I added Wonder Under to the snow dyed fabric from Dippity Dyes and then I cut it into 1 inch squares. I fused it to black cotton and quilted it by machine in a simple alternating lines pattern. I tried to use a rayon thread that would blend more than detract from the hand dyed fabric. I just wanted some texture.

Of course I wanted to add a little bling, so I stitched these metallic beads onto the top using a sturdy beading monofilament thread. It gives the purse a nice little touch and the frame has convenient little holes at the top so it was relatively simple to do.

Here's a closer view and a view of the back of the bag. It is one of those things that will go with everything, including a little black dress. (If I had one.)

So with making the purse, I made a little extra of the grid quilted fabric and I didn't want that to go to waste. Besides it looked pretty cool and was essentially running with this random series of work anyway. So what the heck, I made it into a small art quilt.

It is 12 X 12 inches and I mounted it on a canvas that I painted on the sides. It has the leftover piece from the purse, some bent and hammered wire and a charm I picked up in a super cool town called Tubac, Arizona. I framed it in a Kona cotton and then added a silk dupioni border that is a crossweave of silver and magenta. It gives the piece a nice sheen and highlights the silver metals in the center.

The charm is a heart with a dove flying across it and little leaves or something in the corners. I hand stitched the pieces together using some hand dyed fiber that came in an Oliver Twist pack. I just love those. I machine quilted it so that the lines on the outside would draw the viewers eye into the center. The thread was a light silver grey.

Here is a closer look at the center of the piece. It is 6 1/2 inches on each edge.

Finally, I painted a canvas in a medium magenta and then lightly brushed it with metallic silver paint. It really was a pretty close match to the border fabric.

So thanks for checking out these projects. I have already decided that my next piece will be made from two bags of scraps that I bought in Sedona, Arizona (same trip as the charm). I paid $1.50 for each bag - so I'm going to see what I can do with $3 worth of fabric. So far it is looking pretty interesting. It's amazing what limiting yourself can do for your creativity.

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About Me

As far back as I can remember, I have always loved fabric. Having a mother and grandmother who sewed very well I was taught early about a sewing machine. I went through the usual stages - doll clothes, my clothes, prom dress, home decor, baby items and clothes for my children. I dabbled in various other media and tried my hand at several crafts. I always returned to my sewing machine and fabric. And over time, I developed some pretty good skills.
Then one day a few years ago during graduate school I met a woman who introduced me to art quilting magazine and I was hooked. I poured over that magazine for hours. I realized that all the other things that I had tried over the years would still apply as I worked my way into art quilting. I now make mixed-media art quilts. I've decided that I will only use my machine and my valuable time to make what I cannot buy. Unique one-of-a-kind pieces that bring me a sense of peace and accomplishment. So, after a few years of experimenting, I launched this blog so I could meet some other fabric enthusiasts as I make my way through my random acts of piece.